| 摘要 |
A continuous-wave (CW), ultraviolet triply-optically-pumped atomic laser (TOPAL) is disclosed. The inventive laser device includes a laser active media comprising a mixture of a neutral atomic vapor and one or more buffer gases. The gain mixture is placed within a segmented gain cell, allowing for periodic, selected spectral filtering of deleterious ASE transitions; the segmented gain cell, in turn, is placed within an optical cavity with a high Q at a specified ultraviolet wavelength, and is successively, resonantly excited by three drive pump lasers, in three energy-contiguous visible/IR electric-dipole allowed transitions, producing a steady-state electron population inversion density between a high-lying electronic energy level and the ground electronic level, and producing laser emission on a UV transition (within the spectral range ˜230 to ˜370 nm) terminating on the ground electronic level. |
| 主权项 |
1. A triply-optically-pumped atomic laser (TOPAL), comprising:
an optical cavity that has a resonance at a predetermined wavelength within a range from ˜230 nm to ˜370 nm; a gain medium within said optical cavity, said gain medium comprising a mixture of at least one buffer gas and an atomic vapor; wherein said gain medium has at least one ultraviolet (UV), parity allowed, electric dipole transition in said range that terminates on the ground level of said atomic vapor, wherein said predetermined wavelength is resonant with said UV, parity allowed, electric dipole transition wherein said buffer as collisionally rapidly transfers pump-excited electron population between excited n 2P1 or n 2D1 spin-orbit pair levels of atoms of said atomic vapor; an oven configured to maintain said gain medium at as predetermined temperature; a continuous wave (CW) first pump laser configured for emitting a first pump beam having a wavelength λpump1, that is fully resonant with a first parity allowed, electric dipole transition whose initial energy level is the n 2S1/2 ground level and whose terminal energy level is the energetically lowest lying n 2P3/2 level when the said atomic vapor is an alkali vapor, or whose initial energy level is the 2P1/2 ground level and whose terminal level is the energetically lowest lying 2S1/2 level when said atomic vapor is a Thallium, or indium, or Gallium atomic vapor; a CW second pump laser configured for emitting a second pump beam having a wavelength λpump2, that is fully resonant with a second parity allowed, electric dipole transition whose initial level is said energetically lowest lying 2P1/2 level and whose terminal level is either the energetically second lowest lying n+1 2S1/2 level, level, or the energetically lowest lying m 2D3/2 level when said atomic vapor is an alkali vapor, or whose initial level is the said energetically lowest lying 2S1/2 level and whose terminal level is the energetically second lowest lying 2P3/2 level when said atomic vapor is a Thallium, or Indium or Gallium atomic vapor; a CW third pump laser configured for emitting a third pump beam having a wavelength λpump3, that is fully resonant with a third parity allowed, electric dipole transition whose initial level is said energetically second lowest lying n+1 2S1/2 level and whose terminal level is the n+2 or energetically higher lying 2P3/2 level when said atomic vapor is an alkali vapor, or whose initial level is the said m 2D3/2 level and whose terminal level is the n+2 or energetically higher lying 2P3/2 level when said atomic vapor is an alkali atomic vapor, or whose initial level is the energetically second lowest lying 2P1/2 level and whose terminal level is the energetically second lowest or higher lying 2S1/2 level when said atomic vapor is a Thallium, or Indium, or Gallium atomic vapor; and means for directing said first pump beam, said second pump beam and said third pump beam into said gain medium. |
